Relationship quality tied to good health in young adults

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PTI

June 25, 2016

UPDATED: June 25, 2016 13:40 IST

New York, Jun 25 (PTI) For young people entering adulthood, high-quality relationships are associated with better physical and mental health, according to a new study which also found that low-quality affairs have detrimental effects.

"Health benefits begin to accrue relatively quickly with high-quality relationships and supportive contexts," said Ashley Barr from University of Buffalo in the US.

"And then we see detrimental effects from low-quality relationships - particularly, those low-quality relationships that last a long time," said Barr.

According to her, over the last few decades, adulthood has been extended. Younger people today are waiting longer to get married than those in previous generations, and they are waiting longer to finish school.

During this period, they are moving in and out of relationships, said Barr.

"Much of the research literature focuses on relationships and health in the context of marriage," she said.

"The majority of our respondents were not married, but these relationships are still impactful to health, for better or for worse," said Barr.

Researchers used a sample of all-white youth coming from two-parent, married families. About one-third of the sample experienced relatively large changes in their relationships over a two-year period.